Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (Ohel Moshe Synagogue) Tours

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The Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum (Shanghai Youtai Nanmin Jinianguan) is housed within the restored Ohel Moshe Synagogue, which played a key role in the lives of the 20,000 European Jewish refugees who settled in the city during World War II. The museum highlights their story through photos, films, documents, and personal items.

The Basics

The Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum includes the Ohel Moshe Synagogue, a permanent exhibition hall, a rotating exhibition hall, and a courtyard. Don’t miss the 111-foot-long (34-meter-long) copper Memorial Wall in the courtyard inscribed with the names of 13,732 Jews who found refuge in Shanghai during World War II.

Explore the museum on your own or join a guided tour that includes other key sites in Shanghai’s Jewish Quarter. Some tours include attractions elsewhere in and around Shanghai.

Things to Know Before You Go

The Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum is a must-visit for anyone with an interest in World War II and Jewish culture.Allow yourself two hours to fully appreciate all the exhibits.Visitors can purchase a combo ticket including a cup of coffee from the historical White Horse Inn across the street.

How to Get There

The Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum is located at 62 Changyang Road, near Zhoushan Road. To get there by public transit, take the metro, Line 12, to Tilangqiao (Exit 2) and walk northeast for 10 minutes. You can also take City Sightseeing Bus, Line 5, to Shanghai Youtai Nanmin Jinianguan, or bus 134 or 875 to Haiman Lu Changyang Lu.

When to Get There

Not among Shanghai’s blockbuster sights, the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum is rarely crowded, so it’s a good bet when other attractions are busiest. If you’re interested in a guided tour, given by volunteers on occasion, be sure to check ahead for timing and availability. The museum is open daily from 9am to 5pm.

The Ohel Moshe Synagogue and the White Horse Inn

Established in 1927, the Ohel Moshe Synagogue played a prominent role in Shanghai’s Jewish community until it was confiscated in 1949 after the communist takeover of China. In 2007, the Hongkou District government restored the synagogue and reopened it as a museum. Across the street from the synagogue, the White Horse Café had been a popular gathering place for Jewish refugees. Demolished in 2009, the café was rebuilt in 2015 and renamed the White Horse Inn.

Discover the Jewish history of Shanghai on a half-day tour with an expert guide. Hear about Jewish immigration to Shanghai and visit important sites around the Hongkou district, also known as Shanghai Ghetto, where thousands of Jewish refugees lived during World War II. Stop at the memorial plaque in Huoshan Park and the Jewish Refugees Museum — formerly Ohel Moishe Synagogue. Your guide shares fascinating stories about the people whose lives intersected in Shanghai, including a Baghdadi–Jewish real estate developer, Chinese migrant workers and Jewish refugees from war-torn Europe.

Discover the historical heart of Shanghai’s ancient Jewish quarter on a 2-hour tour of the Hongkou District. Accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, delve into the captivating history of Chinese Judaism; visit the verdant splendor of Huoshan Park and browse intriguing exhibitions in the Jewish Refugees Museum (Ohel Moishe Synagogue). Catch a rare glimpse of daily life in a historical local neighborhood and gain fascinating insight into the culture from your passionate guide. This is a private tour just for you and your party.

Discover a lesser-known side of Shanghai’s history on a half-day tour of the Shanghai Jewish Ghetto, located in the Hongkou District. From the 1920s to the 1940s, many Jewish refugees immigrated to Shanghai to escape repression in Russia and Europe. See important sites from that era including the Jewish Refugees Museum (formerly Ohel Moishe Synagogue), Huoshan Park and Xiahai Temple. Learn from your informative guide about the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, hear about modern day life in the historic neighborhood and meet local residents on this fascinating tour.

Discover old and modern Shanghai as you wish on a private 8-hour tour. With a personal guide, explore attractions like The Bund, Ming-Dynasty Yu Garden, and Jade Buddha Temple, and visit the observation deck of one of Shanghai’s highest skyscrapers. Customize your itinerary to suit your and opt to explore by private vehicle with lunch and select entrance fees included, or by private vehicle or public transit with lunch and entrance fees at own expense.

Rather than struggling to plan your own itinerary, make the most of Shanghai on a private half-day tour. Available morning, afternoon, and night, it’s the perfect introduction for first-time China visitors. Just pick two or three attractions, perhaps the Bund, a Huangpu River cruise, a temple, a skyscraper, or a market, and design your dream day out. Entrance fees are at your own expense: upgrade to include a private car.

Immerse yourself in Shanghai’s little-known Jewish districts—known as “Little Vienna”— on this specialty-themed private tour. Highlights include collections of photographs, films, and personal items at the Jewish Refugees Museum, the old stone houses and winding back alleys that once housed a thriving Jewish immigrant population, and British-Jewish art-deco heritage along the Bund waterfront.

Discover Shanghai’s Jewish history and heritage on this 4-hour prviate tour. Explore the former Jewish Ghetto in Shanghai’s Hongkou district, visit landmarks such as Ohel Moishe Synagogue and Sassoon House, and see the famous painting ‘Along the River During the Qingming Festival’ at the China Art Museum.

Shanghai is China’s biggest city and with just a day to explore, a private tour will ensure you maximise your time. This full-day tour is tailor-made for you, so you could admire the views from the Shanghai Tower; visit Yuyuan Garden, the Jade Buddha temple, and Nanjing road; cruise down the Huangpu River from Riverside Promenade area, or take part in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. Hotel pickup and drop-off is included.

Immerse yourself in the Jewish history of Shanghai. This personalized 2 hour tour shows what life was like for Shanghai’s early 20th century Jewish community, taking guests through the former Jewish Ghetto, Jewish Refugee Museum, and Ohel Moshe Synagogue. Your guide provides an informative narrative of this fascinating period of history.

Explore Shanghai’s Jewish history on this enriching all-day outing. After convenient hotel pickup, set off in a private vehicle with your personal driver-guide. Tour the city’s Bund area, where many of the city’s 30,000 Jewish refugees once lived and where famous landmarks are located. Visit the Historic Peace Hotel, an Art Deco masterpiece built by Jewish financier Victor Sassoon, and the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum.

Follow in the footsteps of the Jewish refugees of yesteryear on this full-day small-group walking tour—with pickup and drop-off by comfortable private vehicle. Start at the Fairmont Peace Hotel, first built by Sir Victor Sassoon, then stroll towards the former Jewish Ghetto in Hongkou. Your guide will escort you around Huoshan Park, Zhoushan Road, the former home of the Kadoorie family, and the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum.

Shanghai Jewish Ghetto was a miracle at a time of drastic turmoils. It related how the people of a war-ripped country, during WWII, befriended another whom were forced to leave their native places. It's a magnificent epic poem between two great nations and civilizations. This interesting tour will also take you to the field for a session of memorial and then reverts to the upbeat real Shanghai by an unique sidecar experience along the Suzhou River.